I was slightly stunned to hear that Dr James B Beard passed away on 14th May, aged 82.

Dr Beard was a hugely influential figure in the international turfgrass industry, a true research pioneer who is widely credited with turning turfgrass management into a science.

Brought up in Bradford, Ohio, Dr Beard graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Ohio State University in 1957 and then studied for his masters in crop ecology and doctorate in turfgrass physiology at Purdue.

Dr Beard developed the Michigan State program into one of the USA’s top turf colleges and then spent almost 20 years working at College Station at Texas A&M University.

There, he founded the International Sports Turf Institute and served as its director and chief scientist.

Dr Beard Was The Author Of Turfgrass

« Bibles » Like « Turfgrass : Science & Culture »

& « Turf Management For Golf Courses »

Dr Beard is perhaps BEST KNOWN in the United Kingdom as THE AUTHOR OF MANY TURFGRASS « BIBLES » including « Turfgrass : Science and Culture » and « Turf Management for Golf Courses ».

Perhaps less well known to the turfgrass industry here is that Dr Beard was one of the founding members of the International Turfgrass Society ( the ITS ) which held its first International Turfgrass Research Conference in Harrogate in 1969, assisted by former STRI Director John Escritt.

This conference was the culmination of three years of work to develop enhanced communication among international turfgrass scientists.

The ITS is still going strong today.

The most recent meeting was held in 2017 at Rutgers, USA, the last to be attended by Dr Beard.

He remained the Society’s official historian until 2007, a role which I have now taken over.

However, I first met Dr Beard at the 6th International Turfgrass Research Conference in 1989 in Tokyo as a young research scientist.

It was a very formal meeting―I had been invited to chair one of the sessions he was presenting at―nothing like being dropped in at the deep end !

But like many true professionals he guided me through the session and I have remained involved with the ITS ever since.

Dr Beard, who wrote hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and technical papers, donated his collection of turfgrass research materials in 2003 to the Turfgrass Information Center at Michigan State, where he taught from 1961 to 1975.

The Godfather Of Turfgrass Science

According to Kevin Frank, PhD, associate professor at Michigan State―

He is the grandfather―the godfather―of turfgrass science.

I don’t think anybody would argue with that.

What stands out was his leadership in making turfgrass a science.

The recipient of GCSAA’s Distinguished Service Award in 1993, Dr Beard earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy from Ohio State University and, later, both his Master’s in Crop Ecology and Doctorate in Turfgrass Physiology from Purdue University.

Dr Beard founded the International Sports Turf Institute, headquartered in College Station, Texas, and had been Professor Emeritus of Turfgrass at Texas A&M since 1993.

According to Dr Paul Rieke, PhD, an authority on turfgrass soil and nutrition in his own right, and a colleague of Dr Beard’s at Michigan State―

He was focused, congenial, respectful.

He was a visionary when it came to building a strong research program across the board.

He was a very precise scientist.

He clearly challenged the status quo.

Dr Joe Vargas, PhD, was a colleague and long-time friend of Dr Beard.

He launched his career 50 years ago as a researcher at Michigan State.

According to Dr Vargas―

I started November 1st, 1968, and by the second week, he dragged me up to Boyne Highlands ( in Harbor Springs, Michigan ) to put out a snow mold plot.

Before him, we were spray-and-pray guys.

Dr Beard was THE FIRST REAL SCIENTIST to understand why things were happening, such as why there is stress in the plant.

He did the research.

The main thing he taught me was how to be a critical researcher and not just jump into something.

I would go talk to somebody, which usually was him.

Never far away was Harriet Beard, who was a wife and a team-mate.

So much, in fact, that she collaborated with him and their son James on the book « Turfgrass History and Literature : Lawns, Sports, and Golf » which was selected as the 2015 recipient of the American Library Association’s Oberly Award for best bibliography in agricultural or natural sciences.

Often, Dr Beard would supply hand-written work, and Harriet, who grew up on a farm that adjoined the Beard family’s, would type it up.

Dr Beard’s impact is felt still.

According to Dr Ben Wherley, PhD, associate professor at Texas A&M―

I met him when I had just started here ( in 2010 ).

I visited with him and Harriet at their house.

For someone who was supposed to be retired ( Beard taught at Texas A&M from 1975 to 1992 ), he was still very active, and you could see the two of them were very close.

In 2003, the Turfgrass Information Center ( TIC ) and the Michigan State University ( MSU ) Libraries received Harriet and Dr James B Beard’s impressive collection of turfgrass research materials.

For the 2003 Collection dedication, historic works representing the evolution of published turfgrass science and practice were featured.

The Dr James B and Harriet Beard endowed graduate fellowship at MSU was established to encourage continuation of the high-quality research in the fields of turfgrass science and management they have exemplified.

They have donated their extensive collection of turfgrass books and research materials to MSU’s Turfgrass Information Center ( TIC ) and the MSU Libraries.

Their legacy is noted in this statement from Dr David Martin―

If true success and excellence as an advisor, teacher and researcher are measured by the impact that one’s research and students subsequently have on a profession, then the outstanding contributions of Dr and Mrs Beard are without parallel in the history of turfgrass science.

The James B Beard Turfgrass Library Collection is generally acknowledged to be the finest personal compilation of turf-related material in existence, with international coverage of the turfgrass research and management literature, including books, periodicals, and technical reports.

The Beard Collection serves as a non-circulating reference collection within the Turfgrass Information Center ( TIC ) in the Main Library.

This generous donation continues the efforts by Harriet and Dr James B Beard in support of the Center’s work and objectives, including the TIC Endowment.

It was under the direction of Dr Beard, and then-Library Director, Dr Richard Chapin, that the MSU Libraries began to systematically collect printed turfgrass materials in the 1960s.

In 1968, the personal collection of Mr O J Noer, a legendary icon and pioneer turf agronomist, was added to the holdings through the O J Noer Foundation.

[ See later segments regarding Mr O J Noer. ]

The arrival of the Beard Collection solidified MSU as the strongest public repository of turfgrass literature in the world.

Beard’s classic book « Turfgrass : Science and Culture », published in 1973 and still in print, continues as the only true treatise ever written regarding turfgrass science.

Much of the book was written within the walls of the MSU Main Library.

His « Turf Management for Golf Courses », first released in 1982 and revised in 2002, remains the best-selling reference book in the field.

In 2014, Beard published « Beard’s Turfgrass Encyclopedia for Golf Courses, Grounds, Lawns, Sports Fields » with the Michigan State University Press.

Dr Beard served at Michigan State University from 1961 to 1975, and at Texas A&M University from 1975 to 1992.

After his retirement from Texas A&M, he became President and Chief Scientist of the International Sports Turf Institute.

Dr Beard notes that no one has effectively defined the word « native » and admits that, after five drafts, he didn’t define it either.

According to Dr James B Beard―

Is it the anthropological event when man became active; when Europeans arrived on the continent; when the first explorers pushed hay off the boat in some island ?!?!

Or, will the newly-introduced research on turfgrasses extend the timeline back beyond the point requiring such precise definition of that term ?!?!

He points to university research taxonomists who draw grass samples from herbariums around the world for analysis.

According to Dr James B Beard―

Recent development of paleo-botanical studies using ultra-structural electron microscopic techniques and stable carbon isotope dating instrumentation and research procedures, plus molecular phylo-genetic research and cladistic bio-geographic analysis of large data sets are clarifying our understanding of migration patterns and dating of multiple secondary centers-of-origin for grasses.

The results of this research propose the appearance of primitive ancestral grasses between 65 and 96 Million Years Ago ( mya ) in Gondwanan Africa.

Tracking migrations and diversifications shows the emergence of an ancient Poeae group known as the fine-leaf fescues ( Festuca ) in central-Europe around 13 mya.

Subsequent migrations place them in Patagonia between 3.8 and 10 mya, which is before the anthropological effects of humans.

Clearly the fine-leaf fescues are native to North America and migrated eastward across the continent after the ice age glacial melt around 1 mya.

Delving into research for this project, Dr Beard says―

I felt like a kid with a brand-new PhD I’d wake up at night with an idea or insight and couldn’t wait to pursue it.

The resulting paper, Dr Beard says…

…begins to clarify the question of whether certain turfgrasses are native to North America.

Again setting the stage for what will happen in the future, this paper will start a new series of strictly electronic publications from Michigan State University ( MSU ).

Free access is important, Dr Beard says…

…to get it out to the people that are the policy-makers/politicians.

Though he hopes hard copies also will be funded…

…to get it into the state capitols and libraries of collections for even greater access.

―――――――――――――――――――――

―――――――――――――――――――――

Dr James B Beard–Champion Of Turfgrass

Seeking Challenges

Dr Beard was well-prepared to face the challenges.

Dr Beard earned his BSc in Agronomy from The Ohio State University; his MS in Crop Ecology and his PhD in Turfgrass Physiology ( with an emphasis on Biochemistry ) from Purdue University.

He completed a National Science Foundation ( NSF ) Post-Doctoral Study in Plant Physiology at the University of California-Riverside.

With his basic training in Biochemistry, Dr Beard had the opportunity to go into sophisticated labs working at the molecular level within a highly controlled environment.

He opted instead to focus on turfgrass, working outdoors in an ever-changing environment that he saw as more challenging intellectually.

Through the 1950s, few experiment stations were supporting turfgrass work, and funding for turfgrass research was very limited.

With the main money coming from companies seeking evaluation of their products, turfgrass research was dubbed a « squirt and peek » science.

According to Dr James B Beard―

Yet, the targets of those products were the major problem areas at that time.

Turfgrass science was beginning to change when Dr Beard came to Michigan State University in 1961.

According to Dr James B Beard―

We drew an exceptional team of graduate students to turfgrass.

At one time, there were Keith Karnok, John Kaufmann, John King, Jeff Krans, David Martin and Bob Shearman, while my colleagues, Dr Paul Rieke advised Bob Carrow and Dr Bill Meggit advised Al Turgeon.

With this amazing team, research flourished.

According to Dr James B Beard―

In turfgrass, we had the advantage of concentrating on the vegetative state.

With crops such as corn and wheat, researchers must consider the whole complexity of flowering and seed production, which is more difficult in terms of environmental stress throughout all the stages involved.

Dr Beard says―

The body of work on turfgrass science and culture influenced the field of crop science and was used in the crop physiology courses as well.

―――――――――――――――――――――

―――――――――――――――――――――

Dr James B Beard–Champion Of Turfgrass

Shade Adaptation

Shade adaptation was one of Dr Beard’s earliest projects.

According to Dr James B Beard―

It had always been assumed that lack of light was the major factor.

Research showed it was the altered micro-environment, including lack of light, which increased disease stress.

That major break-through led to work on the shade adaptation of cool-season grasses.

Bob Shearman’s PhD work centered on the plant mechanisms that allow wear tolerance.

Another legacy of that period is Dr Beard’s first of nine books, « Turfgrass : Science and Culture ».

It was published in 1973 by Prentice Hall and is still selling.

Noted throughout the industry for what would become a tradition « of in-depth study and exhaustive investigation », it marked the change from art-dominated turfgrass maintenance to science-dominated.

According to Dr James B Beard―

That doesn’t mean art is not still important.Dominance is the key word there.

That publication also marked the beginning of the collaborative process with his wife, Harriet, the typist, fact-checker, and facilitator extraordinaire.

Dr Beard is recording progress, too.

His latest turfgrass history book is working its way toward production at Michigan State University Press.

In 2012, he’ll finish the documented history of turfgrasses and soils at St. Andrews.

That project spanned five years of research with unprecedented access to greens committee records.

―――――――――――――――――――――

―――――――――――――――――――――

Dr James B Beard–Champion Of Turfgrass

International Turfgrass Society

Dr Beard’s enthusiasm and fore-sight spear-headed the formation of the International Turfgrass Society ( ITS ) in 1969 and the first International Turfgrass Research Conference.

He served as the first ITS president and remained on the executive committee until 1999.

That led to many international lecture trips, with Harriet as his support team on most of them.

―――――――――――――――――――――

Dr James B Beard–Champion Of Turfgrass

Optimization Of Water Use

Dr Beard continued to teach and to direct and coordinate turfgrass research within the Soil and Crop Sciences Department of Texas A&M from 1975 to 1992.

One of his areas of concentration that continues to evolve is the optimization of water use, the understanding of grass morphology with low water.

According to Dr James B Beard―

Evapo-Transpiration [ ET ] technology and the impact of effluent water make that on-going research even more relevant.

Water use issues are another area where turfgrasses are being questioned.

According to Dr James B Beard―

The high visibility of turfgrass irrigation makes it a target.

Agriculture uses much of the available water west of the Mississippi River.

Many city irrigation systems are archaic, with 30 to 40 per cent leakage.

Turfgrasses are a minor part of urban usage, yet more entities are restricting turfgrass irrigation.

Some states are monitoring private wells and mandating how much can be pumped for various uses, including turfgrass irrigation.

In times of shortage, water needs to be available in reservoirs where it can be accessed, rather than relying totally on removal via rivers, notes Dr Beard.

Yet, over the last four decades, single-issue activists have been able to block reservoir development in favour of endangered species.

According to Dr James B Beard―

How hard a hit turfgrasses take will depend on how good we are in developing drought-resistant grasses; highly efficient, ET-based irrigation and conservation strategies; and effective use of effluent water.

There are ways around much of this, but it will take research and development, and public education.

Dr Beard is spreading the message through his « future of turfgrass » presentations and addressing other « crystal ball » issues as well.

On the environmental/social-political side, Dr Beard predicts opposition to genetic modification and pesticide use will continue and drive further enhancement in Integrated Pest Management and Best Management Practices programs.

According to Dr James B Beard―

GPS for precise, targeted applications will be expected for large-area turfgrass management.

I anticipate the technology used for facial recognition will extend to spreader or sprayer-mounted digital recognition systems to identify weeds and apply targeted remedies as needed.

I foresee advances in controlled-release nutrients and physiological-enhancer foliar treatments.

There will be expanded use of laser and computer technologies in construction and maintenance procedures.

In the United States, research and teaching programs were initiated at the « Pennsylvania State University » ( also known as «Penn State » ) by Dr H Burton Musser and Fred Grau, and in New Jersey by H B Sprague.

Over thirty years later, in 1959, Dr Musser was succeeded by Joseph M Duich.

Mr Noer was instrumental in the success of Milorganite as well as establishing the modern turfgrass industry.

His achievements were so advantageous he was formally given the title « Mr Turf » by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America ( GCSAA ).

In the early 1900’s, Milwaukee’s Sewerage Commission established a fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture to investigate the many potential applications of Milorganite as a fertilizer.

Mr Noer led the work and conducted extensive field trials rather than relying on chemical analysis, which was standard for the day.

After experimenting with field crops and vegetables, Mr Noer used this new slow-release nitrogen fertilizer on golf course turf with superior results.

As word spread across the country among golf course superintendents about this new fertilizer, Mr Noer knew he had a commercially viable product.

The soils-testing laboratory established by Mr Noer was the first of its kind in the United States.

Mr Noer developed soils testing protocols and evaluation tools that were so far beyond his time some of them are still used today.

Throughout his career, Mr Noer extensively spoke at turf conferences and wrote on the subject of turfgrass and fertilizer, including a series of articles titled « The ABC of Turf Culture », which was later published as a book and represents one of the earliest comprehensive books on the subject of turf maintenance.

Mr Noer achieved venerable and legendary iconic stature within the turf industry for his willingness to share his vast knowledge of turfgrass.

During his time with Milorganite, it is estimated that he visited more than 80 per cent of the golf courses in the country assisting greens-keepers to diagnose and offer advice on how to treat turf problems based on research-based knowledge.

We are the National Organization Responding Against HUJE that conspire to destroy the Green space & other industries ( NORAHG ).

NORAHG is a non-profit & independent organization that reports on the work of several highly-rated leading experts who have recognized expertise, training, & backgrounds in matters concerning pest control products, & who promote environmental realism & pesticide truths.

NORAHG produces A Look At… & Force Of Nature reports & blogs which are destined for the green space industry, nation-wide across Canada, the United States, & overseas, & can be found on The Pesticide Truths Web-Site…http://pesticidetruths.com/

A Look At… & Force Of Nature reports & blogs were the brain-child of William H Gathercole ( now retired ) & his colleagues.

NOTABLE ACTIVITIES―•worked in virtually all aspects of the green space industry, including golf maintenance, professional lawn care, tree & shrub care, distribution, environmental compliance, government negotiations, public affairs, & workplace safety•the supervisor, consultant, &, programmer for the successful execution of hundreds-of-thousands of management operations in the golf course & urban landscape, as well as millions of pest control applications•the advisor, instructor, & trainer for thousands of turf & ornamental managers & technicians•the pesticide certification instructor for thousands of industry workers•a founder of the modern professional lawn care industry•the prolific writer for industry publications, reports, & blogs•the first to confirm the invasion of European Chafer insects in both the Montreal region & the Vancouver / Fraser Valley region•with Dr Peter Dernoeden, the first to confirm the presence of Take All Patch as a disease of turf in Eastern Canada•with Dr David Shetlar, the first to confirm the presence of Kentucky Bluegrass Scale as an insect pest in south-western Ontario, & later, in the Montreal & Vancouver regions.

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS―•the creator of the Pesticide Ban Exception Status that allowed the golf industry to avoid being subjected to anti-pesticide prohibition for a generation•the creator of the signs that are now used for posting after application•the co-founder of annual winter convention for Quebec golf course superintendents•the founder of the first ever Turf Summit with guest Dr Jack L Eggenshttps://wp.me/p1jq40-7dT•the major influence in the decision by Canadian Cancer Society to stop selling-for-profit fresh pesticide-treated daffodilshttps://wp.me/P1jq40-1OW•the only true reliable witness of the events of anti-pesticide prohibition in the town of Hudson, Quebechttps://wp.me/p1jq40-asu•the founder ( now retired ) of A Look At… & Force Of Nature reports & blogs.

NOTABLE AWARD―•the first man-of-the-year for contributions leading to the successful founding of the Quebec professional lawn care trade association, which served as a beach-head against anti-pesticide activists in the 1980s & 1990s.

LEGACIES―Mr Gathercole & his colleagues…•designed & implemented strategies that reined anti-pesticide activists & provided peace & prosperity for the entire modern green space industry for a generation•orchestrated legal action against anti-pesticide activists in the town of Hudson, Quebec•launched the largest founding professional lawn care business in the nation•quadrupled the business revenues of one of the largest suppliers in the nation.

Mr Gathercole is now retired, although his name continues to appear as the founder of A Look At… & Force Of Nature reports & blogs.

We dare to defy by exploring the whole truth from an independent perspective on The Pesticide Truths Web-Site…http://pesticidetruths.com/

If you wish to receive free reports & blogs on issues that concern you, please contact us at…force.of.de.nature@gmail.comWILLIAM H GATHERCOLE AND NORAH G